let's science some pond water

We have recently spent hours upon hours looking at water underneath a microscope. We might need to get another one because we are all fighting and jostling to see each new creature. We have found amoeba, diatoms (little glass houses) and whirling spheres of some sort of algae that rush out of the viewing field as soon as they are spotted.

We have this microscope and have been very pleased with it. It allows you to light items from above as well as below. So you can look at slides as well as more three dimensional objects like leaves or cloth.

I remember the highlight of college biology (and maybe of all my first few years of college) was finding and watching an amoeba in a microscope. It was a little mind blowing to see this very tiny life force just doing its thing. Makes you wonder about all the unseen universes existing around (and on) you. I think if I had been given a more inspiring science education in school I might have pursued it. Unfortunately, I hated science. It brought up so many questions that my teachers refused to answer.  For my kids, it has always been their favorite subject to study. And why wouldn't it be? The study of science helps kids understand the world they live in, which is something I believe all kids are driven to do. They even use the word "science" as a verb, meaning to explore and think deeply about something. The will say, "let's science that mushroom/flower/machine..."

Do you look under the microscope much? Ever surprised at what you see?